[Geysers] Entrance and Backcountry Fee

[Ben Hoppe]

Hi all,

Just wanted to take the time to thank Jake and Will for attending the
public comment meeting. I'm glad to see that those who are local enough to
attend these meetings are taking advantage of them, and it is great to hear
that the meetings didn't seem completely bureaucratic.

A few of my personal takes on the matter:


   - Please remember that not all of the money collected by Yellowstone (or
   any national park) is kept at that individual park. As previously noted,
   80% of entrance fee funds stay with the park while 20% help mostly in the
   aiding of funding for NPS sites that do not charge for entry. Of the 401
   sites managed by the National Park Service, only 131 of those are Federal
   Fee areas. I'm not sure if you have noticed, but if you follow many of
   these sites on Facebook - you've probably noticed that many of them are
   going through the same thing. From what I've heard and understood, most (if
   not all) of these parks will at least be considering (and very probably)
   implementing fee increases. The additional 20% of entrance fees helps to
   fund those other sites, as well as some additional (but relatively minor)
   appropriations from Congress.

   - If you believe that the fee increase is making it too expensive for
   low-income families to visit places like Yellowstone, remember the costs it
   takes just to get to Yellowstone in the first place. Most families
   vacationing in Yellowstone are on their way somewhere else. That $50 fee
   for 7 days for Yellowstone and Grand Teton (that's still a heck of a price,
   $7 per day for access to 2 of the country's most astounding national
   parks!?!?) is hardly going to be worse than the hotel prices, gas prices,
   and food prices that they will encounter along the way.

   - For folks that are going to be traveling to multiple parks (or
   multiple trips to Yellowstone throughout the year), get yourself the annual
   $80 pass. Stop at other Federal Fee Areas along the way as well (Forest
   Service, Fish and Wildlife, NPS) and get your money's worth. There's a heck
   of a lot more out there than Yellowstone. And for those of you 62 and
   older, the senior $10 pass is one heck of a great reward for sticking out
   that whole living thing for 61 years and 364 days.

   - If you think the NPS should do a better job managing their money, most
   parks have comment forms that you can fill out - and they DO get read. And
   if you think they need to get more taxpayer money without having to raise
   taxes - write to your representatives. Those are changes that need to be
   made on a much higher level than park management.

   - If you are blessed enough to have a few extra dollars to spare, and
   you want it to help out the parks, donate directly to NPS sites at visitor
   centers and park offices. 100% of donated funds stay in the park to help
   fund specific projects.

Just remember, if you have feedback, provide it. Communicate with your
parks, whether local or far away. Communicate with your representatives
(insert snarky comment here).

As for the shuttles - I wish they'd implement a parkwide shuttle service,
at least for the loop road. Have a number of main park and ride locations
(Old Faithful, Grant, Fishing Bridge, Canyon, Madison, Mammoth, Roosevelt)
with sizable parking lots and allow visitors to see see the park in mass
transit. It would reduce the amount of road and parking congestion, reduce
the amount of fossil fuel burnoff, and if you have free information
(whether in the form of a person, a recording, or written media), you can
increase the amount of education (both safety and resource) that visitors
get. I used the shuttle service at Rocky Mountain National Park
extensively, and it was such an amazing benefit to have. The hard part
about Yellowstone is that it's just so darn big.

Anyways, I'll get off my soapbox,
Ben Hoppe
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